Bedside Manners
by Sapphyre Blu
Summary: Big Guy and Magnus get so caught up in an argument about how to treat a sick Kate that they forgot a couple things. Good think Kate has two other guys to look out for her. Family fic.


Disclaimer: [insert standard disclaimer here]

A/N: Set season 3ish

Her dearest friend slammed his huge hand on the work table and turned his entire body away from her.

"That will kill her," he growled.

"It's not without risks, but it gives her the best chance of survival," the doctor said barely stopping her voice from rising out of frustration.

"Helen, my way has worked before and it will minimize the discomfort," he turned back to look at her.

"Your medicines are wonderful, but with a disease this complicated it won't work on a human."

"Maybe we should have Kate choose," he said referring to the sick human in question.

"No, she'll feel like she is choosing between us," Helen said suddenly deflating.

"So where does that leave us?"

"Back to where we started I'm afraid."

Big Guy and Magnus stared at one another for a long moment. The argument had diffused, but they felt like it could easily be relit if one of them said the wrong thing. This had been going on for a long while. It was time for a small rest.

"I'm going to check on her vitals. I'll be back soon."

"We don't have an abundance of time," he said softly.

She knew.

They had known each other for over half a century. She knew when to step out of an argument. At least they had the sense to contain the argument to an adjacent office. Poor Kate had looked like she was a child in the middle of her parents' divorce when they had first started, which was 12 hours ago.

12 hours ago, Kate had come into the infirmary saying that she felt weak. After Magus took some blood she saw a D'Narian strain of bacteria had gotten into her blood stream. The disease was, so rare for species that were not D'Narians that between Big Guy and Helen they had only seen three cases. Of the two that survived one had been saved by Helen Magnus and the other had been saved by Big Guy's people. Neither patient had a similar physiology to a human thus the ensuing argument how to treat Kate.

Magnus rounded the corner expecting Kate to be lying on the infirmary bed. She found an empty bed with the machinery that had been attached to Kate, turned off. Magnus didn't know what was happening. Kate had been allowed to rest in her room until her breathing became labored. She wouldn't have had the energy to go back there. Once she saw the restrooms were empty and Kate was not standing anywhere near the infirmary she went back to her office.

"Our patient is missing," she said from the doorway.

Biggie looked at her as if she was telling a bad joke. He went outside and saw for himself that she was in fact gone.

* * *

><p>They split up with their radios and searched for her. She had searched Kate's room and the media room. She looked in Henry's lab and then Will's office. Will had something marked in his calendar that reminded Magnus Kate had a calendar on her wall with something written in today's date. No, not writing…a picture. The doctor shut Will's door and walked with a set destination.<p>

Helen opened the door to the roof and sure enough there the runaway sat between Will and Henry. Which answered two questions, where was Kate? And why were Henry and Will not answering her calls?

None of them heard her enter.

"Goodbye Gertrude," Will said.

"Gertrude? People still name their kids that?" Kate asked with a few breaths in between.

"I'm sure she went by Trudy," Henry butted in.

Magnus looked at the scene. The three of them had set up blankets and mats on the roof of the Sanctuary. They had their back leaning against the wall and their heads up toward the night sky. Kate had her head on Henry's shoulder and her other arm was linked with Will's. A blanket was spread across all three of them.

"What are you doing?" Helen asked with equal parts curiosity and frustration.

The three sat up straight. The boys looked at her with feigned innocence. Kate didn't try to fake anything she let her disappointment show at her boss' arrival. Magnus tried to focus on getting an answer and not the fact that the look Kate was wearing made her feel like dirt.

"We're naming shooting stars," Will volunteered.

"After exes," Henry elaborated as if it explained things better.

The picture on Kate's calendar had been a star. Kate had mentioned, a few days prior, there was going to be a meteor shower and she looked forward to it. Magnus had forgotten it was today until she remembered the calendar.

The boss walked in front of them and crouched down to see everyone's faces.

"Who was the mastermind?" she asked.

Henry easily gave up Will.

Will had gone to Kate's bedroom to bring a few things down to her in the infirmary. He knew creature comforts such as your own blanket could really help. That's when he saw the calendar. He could see from Kate's window it was a clear day outside. A plan started cooking in his head.

"Henry, did you at any point disagree with what Will wanted to do?"

She gave him the I-know-when-your-lying look she had mastered since the 19th century.

"No," he answered.

Henry loved Will's plan the moment he presented it to him. He had just come from visiting Kate in the infirmary. Henry was in charge of making sure Kate would be warm and comfortable. He set up the mats on the ground and against the wall so they weren't sitting directly on the cold concrete. He had also put blankets down and had some set aside for when they arrived.

Magnus looked at her formerly missing patient. Kate was wearing a heart monitor on her wrist. She was also wearing a nasal cannula which had been hooked up to transportable oxygen. It wasn't exactly the setup she had in the infirmary, but obviously her health and safety had been taken into account. Will was in charge of her medical state.

Magnus looked at the three of them. The boys maintained their innocent look and Kate still looked at her like she was an executioner about to take her back to the gallows.

She was going to kill them. Definitely the boys, maybe Kate, after she saved her life.

Doctor Magnus checked Kate's heart monitor and oxygen flow. She needed to listen to her breathing.

She turned to tell one of them something, but saw Will holding her medical kit out to her wearing his cheeky grin. She was going to kill him first.

The doctor put a stethoscope to the young girl's chest and prompted her how to breathe. There were no changes since she last checked on her. She may have even improved slightly.

"How do you feel?" she asked Kate.

Before Kate could respond, her face lit up for a second. She had caught sight of a shooting star above Magnus' head.

"I'm alright," she answered. "That one was Earl."

"Earl? And you were giving me grief for Gertrude?" Will asked her.

Helen took a breath and allowed herself to gaze at their camaraderie. She looked up at the night sky and also caught sight of a shooting star.

"That one was Timothy," Magnus said almost wistfully.

Three faces all relaxed.

"One hour," Magnus said "Then I am sending my old friend up here to collect Kate."

Kate smiled at her. The young woman had been in the infirmary with two arguing caregivers for quite some time. Magnus could understand why Kate had looked so upset to see her. She was content for the short period of time and thought the doctor would drag her back down to the infirmary. Helen was glad she could grant Kate this one, albeit small, mercy before she had to return.

"You two," she looked at both men "need to clean the gorlga's cage before you go to bed tonight."

The gorlga is a huge slug-like creature that leaves a sticky slime over its cage. Henry and Will have willingly forfeited part of their paychecks not to have to touch the cage.

What they had done for Kate was sweet and caring, but she wasn't going to let them get away with going behind her back and spiriting away a patient no matter the motivation.

A loud groan was heard from two voices.

"It was Will's plan," Henry tried to reason.

"Which you went along with," Magnus reminded him

"So did Kate."

Helen simply gave him a look. She squeezed Will's shoulder probably tighter than necessary and told him quietly to bring Kate down if she has trouble breathing, or a new symptom appears.

Magnus watched them one last time near the door. Another meteor flew across the sky.

"Amy. Our relationship lasted about that long too," Henry said.

* * *

><p>"I found Kate. Meet me in the infirmary," Magnus said over the radio<p>

On the walk down Helen's thoughts were heavy. Her and her old friend so rarely argued especially about medicine. This time around both had been strong willed and so focused on the problem somehow Kate got neglected. She was well monitored and taken care of physically, but most of the time she was in the infirmary, she was left alone while they argued. Before their little plan hatched, Henry and Will stopped by when they could, but they had to keep up with their regular duties.

Magnus walked into the infirmary and Biggie gave her a strange look. She realized he was probably expecting her to bring in Kate.

"The boys took her to the roof to watch the meteor shower," Helen explained.

"She was looking forward to that. Forgot it was today," he said.

"Me too. I told them you would be by to bring her back down in an hour."

"That's fine."

"Also, I'm going to kill them," Magnus said sitting on a stool next to her work table.

"Too bad, I was just starting to like Henry," he deadpanned.

Helen smiled as he took a seat next to her.

"You'll be happy to know I'm killing Will first. After he and Henry clean the gorlga's cage."

"They'll think twice before they do anything that harebrained again."

"Harebrained, yes, but I think it was also necessary. That was probably the most comfortable she's felt all day. I don't think I really stopped to tell her anything that was happening, or what we were trying to do. Did you?"

Big Guy grunted, Helen knew the answer was no.

"Too focused on a cure," he said.

"You think maybe we have been focusing too hard on who is right that we overlooked the fact that we both could be wrong?"

Biggie turned to all the research splayed out in front of them. They looked over it quietly for a short time before his deep voice sounded.

"Maybe we both were right," he said.

He showed her something from his research and they worked together until it was time to get Kate.

* * *

><p>"Does Magnus still want us to clean the cage?" Will asked as they walked down the stairs.<p>

"We weren't deliberately trying to go behind her back," Henry added.

"Then why didn't you ask her if you could take Kate on a field trip?" Biggie pointed out.

When Big Guy had gotten to the roof, Henry and Will had Kate ready to go. Biggie hit each guy upside the head before reaching down and collecting Kate in his arms. She did look significantly more relaxed then when he had last seen her. Right now she had her head resting against his huge shoulder with eyes half open.

"She would have said no," Henry begrudgingly answered the question.

"Do you have any regrets?" Big Guy asked.

"No," both younger men answered together.

"Remember that when your cleaning, or come up with a better plan."

Henry and Will stopped before they had to turn a corner. Biggie who was walking behind them also stopped.

Will came up to Kate and kissed her on the cheek.

"See you tomorrow okay?"

Kate could only squeeze his hand in return.

Henry came up and also kissed Kate.

"I'll see you tomorrow as well. I'll try to sneak in some of that awful food you like," he told her.

Kate's fingers touched his face. He gathered her fingers in his hand then he saw the look he was getting from Big Guy about sneaking her food. Henry quickly kissed her hand and ran after Will.

"You live with some crazy guys," Bigfoot told the girl in his arms.

That got a full-fledged smile from Kate.

* * *

><p>"I apologize for being so distant this whole day," rubbing her hand up Kate's forehead and into her hair.<p>

Kate and her old friend must have made some kind of peace on the way down since Kate was relaxed around him. Helen did want to make amends, but she also needed Kate to stay awake for a little while to let her know if there were any adverse reactions to the treatment she was given.

Magnus started being more hands on with Kate's care since her old friend carried her back in to the infirmary. She was sure to tell Kate what she was doing and explained what her treatment was and why it should work.

"You were doing your job," Kate responded to the apology sleepily.

"I know, but the boys shouldn't have needed to take drastic measures to make sure you were being comforted."

"Do they still have to clean the cage?" Kate asked.

"Yes, and they will do it every day until they die, if they ever do something like that again. I am still glad that they did it though," Magnus said even though it sounded contradictory.

"I live with some crazy guys," she said as she drifted off.

* * *

><p>Kate woke up startled. She had no physical reactions to the treatment the doctor had given her, but something in the combination of the medicine, the abnormal disease and fever had given her some rancid nightmares.<p>

"Your safe Kate," a soft British accent greeted her.

"I must have had a dream," she said completely opening her eyes.

Helen stood in front of her and smiled.

"You had quite a few of those I'm sorry to say."

Kate vaguely remembered waking up a few times. She mostly remembered being scared, but there was always someone there.

"Your fever broke a short time ago and your body responded to the treatment. I'm pretty sure you will sleep better."

Kate slowly sat up.

"I'll sleep in a little bit."

Magnus gave an understanding nod. She moved away from Kate and sat on the side of her bed. That was the first time Kate noticed there were three extra faces in the room with them. Will and Biggie were sleeping on an armchair and Henry was starting to snore by her legs. Kate couldn't help, but grin and touch Henry's head. He mumbled something, but continued to sleep. The young girl looked back at Magnus.

"Some crazy guys we live with," Helen smiled.

"Yeah, but they have their moments."


End file.
